www.windaction.org | Impact on People

SA Libs back wind farm developments but promise to protect landowners
January 6, 2012 in Herald Sun

State Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond said a future Liberal government would ban new wind turbines being located within two kilometres of existing homes. She said her government would also protect nearby landowners from economic losses caused by restrictions on aerial spraying and crop-dusting, and would help develop national guidelines on wind farm locations and noise emissions.

Also filed under [ Australia / New Zealand]

Sales in our wind: Ireland's ambitious wind-energy plans
April 6, 2013 by Frank McDonald in Irish Times

It is "far too soon" to make final judgments on which of the export-orientated windfarm projects now being mooted will be approved and under what terms. "There is no fait accompli at this stage. None of this has reassured objectors, who are concerned about the noise and visual impact of onshore turbines and also see the export of wind energy to Britain as equivalent to "selling the family silver".

Also filed under [ Impact on Landscape| Energy Policy| Ireland]

San Diego County Supervisors sued over flawed Wind Energy Ordinance
June 18, 2013 by Donna Tisdale in The Protect Our Communities Foundation (POC) & Backcountry against dumps (BAD)

San Diego County Supervisors are being sued over their May 15th approval of the technically and legally flawed Wind Energy Ordinance & Plan Amendment-that benefits wealthy industrial wind and solar developers, San Diego Gas & Electric, Sempra, and absentee land-owners at the expense of rural east county residents and valued resources.

Also filed under [ Impact on Landscape| Zoning/Planning| California]

Sarnia documentary writer takes aim at push towards wind energy
January 22, 2013 by Paul Morden in Sarnia Observer

The documentary starts out in Alberta where wind energy has been a success ...It moves then to more densely populated rural Ontario where the reception to turbines hasn't been as welcome, and then to Denmark, once a poster-child for wind energy, where the relationship between residents and turbines has soured.

Also filed under [ Denmark| Canada]

Scaled-down wind farm granted permit
September 8, 2008 by Raissa Tetanish in The Amherst Daily

With many residents along the Gulf Shore opposed to the idea, a 17-turbine wind farm for the area was recently granted a development permit. Originally, the proposed Pugwash Wind Farm was planned with up to 30 turbines, but scaled back to 17 after concerns from some of the area residents. ..."By trying to move a few turbines back by a few hundred meters is not paying attention to what we are saying - that this affects the whole neighborhood, not just the immediate people."

Also filed under [ Zoning/Planning| Canada]

School Committee chairwoman says they will study material on health risks of wind turbines
December 22, 2011 by Peggy Aulisio in South Coast Today

Opponents said the turbines will be close enough to the new elementary planned for the Wood School site to warrant study of their potential health risks. Ms. Kuechler said that at the end of the meeting, "A couple of the members said they thought it is a good idea to look at the information." Since then, she said, "We're all in the process of individually looking at that."

Also filed under [ Noise| Massachusetts]

School in Wotton forced to take down turbine after being given noise abatement notice
September 6, 2012 by Lucy Fulford in The Gazette

The school had been warned when it was granted planning permission in 2009 that if noise were to become an issue the turbine may have to be decommissioned. Specialist engineers had worked with the school over a period of about eight months to try to reduce noise, but modifying the blade tips and even shortening the blades themselves had little effect.

Also filed under [ Noise| UK]

School’s wind power plan raises noise, viewshed issues
June 29, 2007 by Hank Lohmeyer in Delta County Independent

SEI, the school for renewable energy and sustainable housing technology, won approval June 4 from the Board of County Commissioners for its bid to erect a 106-foot-high tower on its year-old Paonia campus. The tower will support an electricity generating turbine with blades spanning 12 feet to be used for class instruction and to produce power for the school's use. The BoCC, sitting with commission chair Jan McCracken absent, voted 2-0 in favor of the schools proposal after hearing comments from neighbors both in support and opposition of the plan.

Schultz wants wind farm planning rethink
September 2, 2011 in ABC News

The federal Member for Hume, Alby Schultz, has called for changes to regulations on the construction of wind turbines.

Also filed under [ Australia / New Zealand]

Science undecided over turbines' health effects
June 29, 2009 by Patrick Springer in INFORUM

A Minnesota Department of Health analysis of possible health effects from wind turbines concludes that annoyance and diminished quality of life are the most frequent complaints from nearby residents. The "white paper," a review of available scientific research, notes that people vary greatly in their sensitivity to noise, with penetrating, low-frequency sounds posing the most problems.

Also filed under [ Noise| Minnesota| North Dakota]

Scientist challenges the conventional wisdom that what you can't hear won't hurt you
June, 2010 in National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Although wind turbines are more often found in Europe than in the United States, they're rapidly becoming more popular here as a "green" energy source. Most people consider that a good thing, except the rotors of wind turbines also generate noise, particularly in the infrasound range, that some people claim makes them feel sick.

Also filed under [ Noise| USA]

Scientist says wind farms bad for health
October 7, 2011 by David Giuliani in Sauk Valley News

Anyone who argues that wind turbines don't have bad health effects are either ignoring the evidence or "trying to mislead," Phillips said. Victims of the health effects often move away and then see their health improve, he said. "What had been their sanctuary is now a hostile environment," he said.

Also filed under [ Illinois]

Scituate Board of Health to decide how to study wind turbine
January 26, 2013 by Jessica Bartlett in Boston Globe

"There has been no previous study completed, be it acoustic, shadow flicker or health impact related, since the industrial wind turbine became operational," Thompson said. "What [was done] is flawed modeling that was utilized as part of the approval process, that grossly understated both the actual noise and shadow flicker emanating from the wind turbine."

Also filed under [ Massachusetts]

Scituate considers shutting down wind turbine at night
October 19, 2012 by Jessica Bartlett in Boston Globe

"There are probably 30 families anyway that have submitted e-mails and complaint forms to the Board of Health resulting from their personal experiences," Thompson said, "and those run the gamut - headaches, nausea, dizziness . . . it's sad what's happened to some of our neighbors here."

Also filed under [ Noise| Massachusetts]

Scituate couple withdraw wind turbine lawsuit against health board
February 14, 2013 by Patrick Ronan in The Patriot Ledger

The couple said they withdrew the lawsuit in response to a judge's order, but they reserve the right to re-file the claim pending a final decision on the turbine from the health board. Last month, the board ordered a limited noise study of the 390-foot-tall turbine.

Also filed under [ Massachusetts]

Scituate residents address wind turbine concerns with Board of Health
September 25, 2012 by Jessica Bartlett in Boston Globe

Dardi, a summertime resident of Scituate, said that since he moved back to town and found the turbine several hundred feet from his backyard, he has suffered from sleep deprivation because of the turbine noise. Other residents who live nearby complain of ringing of the ears, dizziness, and vertigo, Dardi said.

Also filed under [ Noise| Massachusetts]

Scituate residents go to court over wind turbine issues
January 2, 2013 by Jessica Bartlett in Boston Globe

In a filing on Dec. 14, Mark and Lauren McKeever filed a complaint through Plymouth Superior Court, asking that the court remand the issue of the turbine operation back to the Board of Health. In the filing, the McKeever's say that the board erred in letting the 400-foot tall industrial turbine remain turned on, despite that it's harming the health of residents.

Also filed under [ Massachusetts]

Scituate residents say wind turbine is affecting their sleep, health
September 28, 2012 by Patrick Ronan in The Patriot Ledger

He said the turbine's humming regularly wakes him up in the middle of the night, causes his ears to ring and gives him headaches. He said other residents living to the east, west and north of the turbine have experienced similar problems.

Also filed under [ Noise| Massachusetts]

Scituate selectman candidates talk wind turbine
April 12, 2013 by Patrick Ronan in The Patriot Ledger

Burbine, 64, a small-business owner, said the residents who live near the turbine, which is off the Driftway, need relief. ..."You can't help but feel empathy, and (I'm) so sad for those people that are dealing with all of this without any real recourse," Burbine said."If we've got to spend a little bit of money, risk-wise, to say, ‘OK, let's turn it off from 7 p.m. at least until first thing in the morning,' we might risk $100,000," Gilmore said. "What's $100,000 (if we're protecting residents)?"

Also filed under [ Noise| Shadow flicker| Massachusetts]

Scituate Town Meeting: Voters narrowly reject article to shut down wind turbine
April 19, 2013 by Ruth Thompson in Wicked Local Scituate

Thompson said that placing a 400-ft tall industrial wind turbine within 650 feet of a residence was "outrageous." "But that is exactly what has happened in the case of the McKeever family," he said. "And legislation allows wind developers and their engineering supporters to proceed with these developments using modeling that grossly understates the levels of noise and strobe light generated by these industrial wind turbines."

Also filed under [ Noise| Massachusetts]